User blog:Oni Girl 13/CommOddities: OOS 1: Color Symbolism
ComOddities: Overanalyzing Odd Squad #2: Color Symbolism Welcome to another episode of ComOddities! I hope you’ve had a good week! It’s been a little busy over here at my personal HQ, but I’ll get through it! The new column type introduced today is called Overanalyzing Odd Squad. Basically, it’ll be me finally taking my knowledge of literary analysis from all those semesters of English class and applying it to something I actually like for a change. J (This is what happens when high school/college people watch children's shows...) I hope to include some character and episode analyses in future ones. Thanks to the title, you probably have realized what this essay is about. I love colors and color theory and I find that one can pack insane amounts of symbolism and meaning into a simple color choice. I’ve thought about colors in other books and shows like Revolutionary Girl Utena or The Great Gatsby, and then I realized that there was probably some color symbolism in Odd Squad as well. After all, the different departments are easily recognizable by color and they couldn’t have just been picked out of a hat, right? (Not that that’s not a good way to make decisions…) So I did some research (a.k.a. Google Images) and found that there are very good correlations between department traits and color traits. See for yourself! Yellow: energy, youth, signal, communications, activity, laughter, aspiration, optimism, innovation, alertness Maintenance: The symbol for the maintenance crew is a yellow lightbulb. Yellow is generally symbolizing of youth, happiness, innovation, and activity. Youth is an obvious connection to this department, as they are all young (though that goes for Odd Squad as a whole). All the sections of maintenance appear to be incredibly busy: there must always be at least one tube operator at all times, and they must be diligent, alert, and aware so the agents’ transportation is effective and runs smoothly, Oksana must prepare around a thousand meals a day, and she is solo, and the workers that Olympia and Otis switch jobs with are deluged with jobs all the time. While obviously not all of them are pleasant people (ahem, Oksana, O’Brian, the girls from High Maintenance), most of them appear quite pleased with their lives and jobs, and some of them, like O’Donnell, will happily say hello to the agents as they go by. The maintenance crew must also some up with clever ways to solve problems, like how O’Beth and O’Seth must figure out how to save Olympia and Otis when they are stuck in the computer, or how Oksana will toss pudding on a dragon. Some of them aspire to greater things (O’Duffy’s just trying to find his place in the world, you know) and may eventually reach them. Green: growth, harmony, fertility, stability, endure, safety, go, sympathy, adventure, comfort, youth, progress, faith, sympathy, reproduction Scientists: The symbol for the scientists is a green Erlenmeyer flask. Green can represent stability and comfort. With the exception of one, all the scientists are quite helpful and will always be there to help you get through problems and save the day, as well as believe and have faith that you can. They are the perfect sidekicks as well as the greatest friends. The gadgets are this as well, as they are always reliable and work the way they were made to. Though the scientists prefer to stay safe in their labs, they aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty if necessary, whether Oscar must defeat the Hydroclops or Oona has to find a way to release the others from Obbs’ control. They don’t quit easily, either. Another aspect of green is growth and reproduction, and though they obviously aren’t reproducing (that would be très ick), the scientists are the only department who create instead of monitor and/or react. The formation of this department was an important progression and growth for the Squad, which previously had the investigation agents making and repairing their own tools. The scientists themselves work on generating new ideas, discovering new things, making new developments, whether creating add-able gadgets, trying to get better representation, or just fooling around with the tools. And of course, they are also aligned with youth, which not only works because they are children, but also because they are the second-youngest department (Medical is just a few seconds younger). Blue: influencing others to lead more significant lives, seek recognition, sensitive to discord or rejection, imaginative, does well motivating and interacting, freedom, authority, unity, order, control, confidence, quietness, technology, loyalty Security: The logo for the security department is a blue lock. Blue can be a symbol for many, many ideas, and they include confidence, loyalty, control, authority, and order. Of course, the security department’s main goal is to have order: making sure only certain people can enter Headquarters and keeping an eye on what happens outside. A security team must be loyal to both each other and the organization and work together in unity, or else the inside is in trouble. They often work with technology (they are most often seen siting at screens) and have considerable amounts of freedom, as they are allowed to to leave HQ during work. One site contends that people associated with blue seek recognition, influence others to lead more significant lives, and are sensitive to discord or rejection. These are applicable to the two members of the security team we have seen so far. In his interview, Owen makes sure to mention all of the ‘assistance’ he gave Olive and Otto on some of their missions (if he’s telling the truth, that also works, because blue is a quiet color), and in Oscar the Couch, believes that he deserves the titular sofa for all his hard work. Though they obviously have ulterior motives (pizza is a great motivator), Owen and Ohio try to help Olympia and Otis solve their 50th case, the completion of which will not only result in a party but in the agents at least accomplishing more and faster. Owen also takes umbrage at the implication that he and his friends do not deserve a spot in Olympia’s new room, and is irritated enough to quickly enter an altercation with Ohio when it appears they have made a mistake. Despite his flaws, Owen does truly want to help his fellow agents, as Olympia and Ocean learn as they deal with the speedy creature that got loose. Teal: emotional balance, express hopes and dreams, healing, clarity, reliable, trustworthy, communication, electronics, intellect Medical: The medical department is represented by a teal, turquoise, or cyan (your choice, not super distinguishable to my glasses-needing eyes) heart monitor. The color can symbolize emotional balance, intellect, and healing. Dr. O has these in spades, after all, she didn’t spend all those years in medical school for nothing. She provides an effective contrast to everyone else’s insanity with her serious demeanor and deadpan sober statements. She is, of course, extremely knowledgeable in both odd and normal diseases, as seen in various episodes, Oddtube, and the movie, and obviously, she and Odell are associated with medicine and healing, or else they wouldn’t be the medical department. She also has no trouble saying what she wants or needs, as she admits her desire for a bicycle in Hold the Door ''or earnestly tells the agents the ingredients for the antidote to an illness, like in ''Case of the Sillies. Ironically, her clarity and communication skills aren’t the best (Agents will often be confused after conversing with her), but she’s definitely a reliable person. Red: passion, love, rage, excitement, determination, energy, attention-getting. courage, aggressive, impulsive, danger, battle, action, strive for success Investigation: The investigation department’s symbol is a simple red hexagon. Red is the color of both emotion and action. The agents are quite determined and brave to go out and solve odd problems. Though the maintenance workers find their job easy (probably because their job is extremely difficult already), the truth is that there is a lot of danger that they must face daily, whether Olive and Otto have to stop dinosaurs from escaping, Oren and Olaf need to defend themselves against flying books, Octavia and Oz need to prevent the city from being enclosed in jelly, or Otis and Olympia must escape an eternal time loop. All the agents are also extremely determined to find the root of an oddity and Odd help anyone who gets in their way. Some of the agents exude energy and enthusiasm (Otto, Olympia) and some can be a little aggressive (Olive, Oren). Red is also attention-getting, and Obbs would agree that also applies to the investigation agents: they’re the face of the band, the Adam Levine of Maroon 5: everyone knows that others exist, but there are the ones who get the most credit. And of course, red is also the color of love. Of course, not the romantic, shipping-crazy, all-the-agents-are-in-love-with-each-other way, but the way friends love and care for each other and make sure the other is alright. Because, at its core, Odd Squad isn’t just about math and the weirdest stuff ever, but a story about friendship and teamwork. Every investigation agent has a partner, even the insufferable Ohlm and Orchid. Purple: wealth, royalty, excess, mystery, magical, creativity, power, sophistication, wisdom, inspiration, pride, empowerment Management: The one person in management (and by extension, her assistants) uses a purple octagon as her sign. In the older than olden days (we’re talking Ancient Rome), purple dye was extracted from murex shellfish, which was quite expensive. Hence, it was only sold to the highest people in society, and the color became associated with royalty. It’s only fitting that Ms. O, as the boss of the precinct, would use purple as her color. Purple is a color of power and sophistication, both things she does have. Just the sound of her tiny little feet stomping down the hall can strike both fear and anticipation into her employees. Of course, purple is also a shade of wisdom and inspiration. Ms. O runs a tight ship, but she knows that her agents sometimes need a gentle hand to guide them and she will give advice to if they need it, like in Behind Enemy Mimes. From this position, management can inspire others, like how Olive as a Ms. O inspires Olympia and gives her confidence. Becoming management also means that the promoted was also extremely competent at their job and with numbers. Because of the connection with royalty, purple can also be a sign of excess and wealth, and Ms. O certainly has an excess of juice books. (Where do they all come from?) Last but not least, purple is also a sign of mystery and magic. Oprah is certainly mysterious, thanks to her impossible age and unusual backstory, and possibly some magic is involved. Yeah, this was a long one and not super funny, but I actually really liked composing it and analyzing each department. I hope this was enlightening and helped you think about colors and characters! If anything, it shows overanalyzing this show is actually pretty rewarding. Other notes: Do you want to know how I did research? I visited Google Images and typed in ‘the meaning of the color ____.’ My favorite results I posted here! I know there are other departments, like the Creature Room, but I’m lazy and just picked the main six. Yes, Medical should come before Security, but that’s the order I wrote it in and it felt unnatural to change it. The departments that were the easiest and hardest to do research for and write were respectively Management and Science, and Maintenance and Science again. Yay for colors! I really hope you liked this one with flying colors! Is there any other color symbolism you think works for Odd Squad? Please comment if you liked or disliked this, have a suggestion, actually know what color the Medical logo is, or literally anything else! As you can tell, this column took some time, so the next one might be a bit delayed. I would actually appreciate it if you guys had any recommendations for the next topic/issue, or any questions at all. Catch you on the odd side! Colorfully, Oni Girl 13 Category:Blog posts